Introduction
As
I received the Sonographe SC26 preamplifier for review, I admittedly
looked upon this assignment with great uncertainty, knowing little what
to expect. Like many of you, I respect for the creator and parent of
the Sonegraphe SC26, Conrad Johnson. Few intimately familiar with fine
electronics are unaware of the success and respect that CJ has amassed,
with better than 20 years of experience in creating fine electronics.
One of Conrad Johnson’s latest, the highly touted ART preamplifier, is
considered by many to be the finest preamplifier ever made, priced as
such at a crisp $15,000. However, Conrad Johnson has long been known
for their tube amplifier and preamplifier products and although they
have produced solid-state electronics, they are much better known for
tube products such as the Premier Series amps and preamps.

Unpacked and ready for hook-up, the Sonographe SC26 looked much like
many of the Conrad Johnson pieces with which you may already be
familiar. The CS26 comes dressed with a gold anodized front panel and
front interface similar to the Premier Series preamplifiers. It’s a
safe assumption that the name Sonographe was intended to differentiate
it from Conrad Johnson’s higher-priced products. That’s certainly
understandable.

The SC26 measures 17.5 inches wide, 11.5 inches deep, and
two-and-three-quarter inches tall. This petite chassis weighed a mere
11 pounds. The connections on the SC26 are pretty simple, with options
for CD, phono, video, aux and tape loop. All connections are
single-ended RCAs. The SC26’s face has push button controls for volume,
which gives you 80 dB of attenuation and 20 dB of gain in 200 steps.
This is important when you are dealing with step-attenuated volume and
like finite volume control. In addition, there are balance controls,
input selectors, tape loop and mute control. The remote control,
although a simple plastic OEM design, provides full function. I have
been critical in the past of very expensive pieces having cheap plastic
remotes because I feel that when I pay $5,000 for a product, I want the
interface to feel like it’s worth more than five dollars. In this case,
I feel the opposite - at $995, I would rather that money was spent on
sonic improvement, and personally applaud any company’s attempt to
bring us high-quality performance in a sub-$1,000 price range, provided
its performance is exemplary. Conrad Johnson provides a five-year
limited warrantee on this product to its original owners.

The Music
I admitted earlier that I was initially a tad apprehensive about what
to expect from the Sonographe SC26. Auditioning it meant that I had to
disconnect my Sonic Frontiers Line 3 preamplifier, which I, as many,
consider to be the among the highest level of reproduction available
The Sonic Frontiers’ two-box setup has a stand-alone power supply that
is twice the size of the entire SC26.

I decided to open the SC26 top cover to inspect its contents; the
interior gave me little additional confidence. Inside was a small PC
board that shared the power supply and signal electronics, a PC board
for the front panel and a very modest power transformer. However, I
have seen many components in the past of varying sizes and levels of
complexity that have performed like champs.

I
started with one of my favorites, Counting Crowes’ "Across a Wire,"
Live from the Story Tellers VH1 Concert, (Universal). I have used this
piece in reviews before and continue to use it as a reference, because
this recording is very clean, pure, a solid standard of mine.

I immediately found the performance of the SC26 to be at a high level
that I hadn’t expected. The highs were detailed and decisively
grainless, an unusual attribute in lower-priced gear that can often by
plagued by artifacts. Vocals were very liquid and rich with transient
detail. The midrange of the SC26 is surprisingly neutral and
natural-sounding. The guitar had very nice texture and was reasonably
focused in the stage.

Next I summoned the sweet riffs of Dr. John from his latest, Duke
Elegant (Blue Note). I found this recording was reproduced nicely with
solid dynamics on such cuts as the opener, "On the Wrong Side of the
Railroad Tracks," where the bass and drums were taut and, for the most
part, very focused.

Although
the SC26 is not going to give you the urge to sell your Audio Research
Ref 2, it is a champion in its own category. You have to applaud a
company that has made an affordable product of this sound quality.
Although the images were well defined, they were certainly not in the
category of my Sonic Frontiers nor would I place them at the level of
my Audio Research LS15. However, let’s be honest, these products cost
$3,000 and $5,000 respectively. I can tell you that for $995 for the
SC26 preamp and $995 for the SA-250 amplifier (not reviewed), you can’t
go wrong. This package brings you real-time performance at a working
man’s dollar ("working man" being, of course, a figure of speech and
not a reference to actual gender).

I would sum up the
sonic characteristics of the SC26 as very musical, especially for a
solid-state product. Its sound was absent of the aggressive and
sometimes abrasive nature of many solid-state preamplifiers. On the
other hand, it wasn’t lush and infinitely warm like a tube product
either. Overall, it has a good balance of quickness and finesse and
provides a quite enjoyable presentation.

If you are the shopping type and would like to know what competes with
this product, the Adcom GFA750 at $1,100 would be first to mind.

The Downside
At $995, a product that performs as well as the SC26 should have few
downsides. It’s always hard to pick on something that is overachieving.
I did have a few gripes. The input connecters on the back are so close
together that it was hard to connect one of my higher-end cables. Also,
the power cord is not removable. So, big deal? It wouldn’t be if the
hard-wired cable provided was of a reasonable gauge. My feeling is,
"Put a connector on the back and provide a real power cable, I’ll pay
the difference." Oh yeah, how could I forget, there is no off switch.
Plug it in and it’s on for life. Not a bad thing, as a component’s
highest risk of failure is at start-up. Prior to owning tubes, I never
shut down my systems. For practicality, though, give the owner the
choice. Can I overlook these shortcomings to own a very nice-sounding
product at a great price? Most likely.

Conclusion
As with all products, there is a point of diminishing returns, this
being the point where a little more money no longer gets you a lot more
performance. We all know this fact, yet for many of us who can afford
it, any improvement is worth its weight in gold (and in many instances,
costs as much as well). But some buyers have a great sense of value and
common sense, and find the right level of performance to be the one
most easily justified. I find this piece to be just such a value. For
those looking for a reasonable entry to the higher level of musical
reproduction, the SC26 is a great choice. Simply a great value!